Missouri Democratic Party

This week on Statehouse Blend Missouri, we meet the eastern Missouri district that supported Donald Trump with 61% of the vote in 2016, but in a special election last week elected a Democrat to the Missouri House for the first time since 2008. We also meet the Democrat they elected, Rep.-Elect Mike Revis, a 27-year-old first-time candidate from Fenton, Mo. And we talk with political science professor Patrick Miller about how much we should read into special election results like these.

Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, has joined with a chorus of colleagues—including the majority of women in the Senate—in calling on their fellow Democrat, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, to resign following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

The Missouri Democratic Party announced an ambitious set of health care proposals Tuesday, including expansion of Medicaid and policy changes focused on veterans, women’s health and opioid abuse.

Republicans control the House, Senate and Governor’s office in Missouri, making it unlikely the proposals will be adopted. But Stephen Webber, the party chair, said Democrats still want to present a “positive proactive vision.”

The definition of an American family is no longer a man and his wife, living in suburbia with their 2.3 kids. Today, we learn about some of the economic forces reshaping families. Then, we explore the history of sandlot baseball in Kansas City, and find out how communities are trying to revive the tradition. Later, we discuss the controversy over Democratic Missouri Sen.

Democrats across the country suffered bruising electoral defeats in November 2016. Now, Missouri Democrats are looking to the 2018 elections and trying to rebuild.

Stephen Webber, who has chaired the Missouri Democratic Party since last year, is coming up with a plan he thinks could combat the issues that plagued his party last time around. Webber was elected to lead after losing a narrow fall race for Missouri Senate District 19 to Republican Caleb Rowden.

Urban parts of Kansas City have seen a rapid increase in apartment building, and the trend isn't expected to change anytime soon. Today, we find out what's behind the boom and see how it might change the metro. Then, Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber discusses the future of his party, and his plans to reverse recent troubles at the ballot box.

One Missouri lawmaker who won't be back for any special sessions this summer is Kansas City's Randy Dunn; the representative resigned last week to begin a new job in Omaha. Dunn was a triple minority in the Missouri General Assembly: A Democrat, a person of color and an openly gay man. He joined us for an exit interview to give us an unvarnished look at the way things work in Jefferson City.

This year's legislative session has seen its fair share of political infighting and personal squabbles among legislators. Gov. Eric Greitens has tangled with more than one legislator, and a non-profit established to support his agenda even published a senator's personal cell phone number. Now that the budget is finally on its way to the governor's desk, and with just one week left in the session,the House Minority Floor Leader says she thinks it's time for a reset.

Rep. Mark Ellebracht, D-Liberty, and Rep. T.J. Berry, R-Kearney, joined Statehouse Blend Missouri for a live taping in a neighborhood that straddles their two districts. They talked about campaign finance reform, the prospect for Real ID legislation and a prescription drug monitoring program.

A New Missouri Inc., a recently founded nonprofit with ties to Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, has Sen. John Rizzo, D-Kansas City, worried about financial transparency and wondering how Democrats can keep up.

After Missouri Governor Eric Greitens delivered his inaugural address in Jefferson City, KCUR's Statehouse Blend Missouri teamed up with St. Louis Public Radio's Politically Speaking podcast to interview the minority and majority leadership in the House of Representatives.

Stunned by the magnitude of their Election Day losses, Missouri’s Democratic leaders are taking stock as they seek to regroup.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., says she’s in the midst of “a listening tour’’ to gauge where she and other party activists went wrong, and what needs to be done. But McCaskill emphasized in an interview that she doesn’t buy into the narrative that Missouri Democrats were punished at the polls for ignoring rural voters and working-class whites.

On this week's episode of Statehouse Blend Missouri, House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) talks about the House Democratic platform and where she hopes to find common ground with the Republican majority during the upcoming session.

Hila “Dutch” Bucher Newman, a leading figure in Missouri Democratic politics for decades, has died. She was 95.

The morning after Hillary Clinton officially became the first woman to head a major party ticket, the news of Newman’s death was announced to the Missouri delegation at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday.

Newman would have reveled in Clinton's moment. She wrote in a Facebook post in 2014, "I am so excited for a Presidential run by Hillary Clinton, I can hardly stand it!"

A leader of the Missouri House Democrats says a controversial constitutional amendment to protect "religious freedom" may not have the votes to get out of committee.

Last week, the House Emerging Issues Committee delayed a vote on the "religious shield" measure, SJR 39. Supporters say the proposal, if approved by the General Assembly and the voters, would protect business owners and clergy from penalties if they decline to participate in same-sex weddings on religious grounds.

The Missouri legislative session is already underway in Jefferson City. On this week's Statehouse Blend, we discuss the most important issues for the 2016 assembly, and speculate on the outcomes. We're talking ethics reform, guns, and transportation. This is an excerpt from Statehouse Blend. You can listen to the full episode here, or by subscribing on iTunes.

The Missouri legislative session is already underway in Jefferson City. On this week's Statehouse Blend, we discuss the most important issues for the 2016 assembly, and speculate on the outcomes. We're talking ethics reform, guns, and transportation.

On this week's Statehouse Blend, columnists and bloggers speculate about spooky legislation we might see in 2016 and discuss the legislative ghosts that might carry over from 2015. It's a Statehouse Blend Halloween Special.

This is an excerpt from Statehouse Blend. You can listen to the full episode here, or by subscribing on iTunes.

On this week's Statehouse Blend, columnists and bloggers speculate about spooky legislation we might see in 2016 and discuss the legislative ghosts that might carry over from 2015. It's a Statehouse Blend Halloween Special.

Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem Denny Hoskins, Republican from District 054, provides an insider perspective on the Missouri General Assembly as we discuss education, the Speaker's position, and Missouri's most famous dog, Old Drum.

This is an excerpt from Statehouse Blend. You can listen to the full episode here, or by subscribing on iTunes.

On Saturday the state party committee picked long-time political strategist Roy Temple to replace Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, who is stepping down after less than two years and says he may be interested in running for attorney general in 2016.

Even though Democrats have fared well as of late in state-wide elections, Republicans hold supermajorities in both the state House and Senate.